Spring-bolster.



W. J. FOI-STER. SPRING BOLSTER.

APPLICATION FILED FEB.18.'1905 -mg- E. #gli/@El f. yo .ha E am m W m Lwm, ma 3 Y hw W Tini sTATns PATENT onirica.,

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented oct. 24, i905.

Application filed February 18, 1905. Serial No. 246,256.

To @ZZ whom t may concern:

Beit known that I, WILLIAM JOHN Fois'rnR, a subject of the King of GreatBritain, and a resident oi' Myrtlepoint, in the county oi' Coos andState ot Oregon, have invented a new and Improved Spring-Bol'ster, ofwhich the following is a full, clear, and exact description.

This invention relates to springs employed for cushioning the impact ofa load on a vehicle, such as a freight-hauling wagon, and has 'for itsobject to provide novel datails of construction for the bolstei'semployed whereby springs are associated with the holsters and adaptedfor absorbing shocks sustained by the loaded wagon in moving over arough road-bed.

The invention consists in the novel construetion and combination' ofparts, as is hereinafter described, and defined in the appended claims.

Reference is to be had to the accompanying drawings, forming a part ofthis speeiiication, in which similar characters of reference indicatecorresponding parts in all the `tignres.

Figure l is a rear view of the front axle of a vehicle, a transversesectional view of the front hounds thereon, and a longitudinal sectionalrear view of the improved spring-bol ster as applied upon the frontaxle.

improved spring-bolster substantially on the line 2 2 in Fig. 3, showingit mountedi upon the rear axle of a vehicle. Fig. 3 is a plan view ofthe rear axle, rear hounds, a reachpole, and the improved bolstermounted and secured upon the axle; and Fig. 4 is a transverse sectionalview substantially on the line t 4L in Fig'. 2.

rlhe details of improvement as embodied in the front and rear bolstersof a wagon are` essentially the same, but differ from each other in themanner in which said holsters are mounted upon and secured to the frontand rear axles of a wheeled vehicle.

The front axle 5 is of any preferred construction, having a sand-bar orother bearingbar 6 mounted thereon and having a pair oi hounds 6 securedbetween said parts 5 6 in any approved manner. The bolster for the:front axle consists oi' two portions 7 and 8 that are both formed ofmetal cast into proper shape and respectively designated as abodypieceanda cap-piece. The body-piece7 is an elongated box-likestructure having parallel sides and a post 7LL formed or secured Fig. 2is a longitudinal sectional rear view of the vertically at each endthereof, said posts above the body-piece being preferably cylindrical.

At and near the center of the body-piece 7 a flat bearing-face is formedon the lower surface thereof, said bearingdace seating upon awear-plate6b, mounted upon the bearing-bar 6, and the body-piece is centrallypivoted upon the wear-plate and bearing-bar by a kingbolt c. Thebody-piece is open on the upper side and near each end is subdividedinto a series of pockets b of equal size by the transverse partitionsb', said pockets receiving each a coiled spring 9, that normallyprojects above the top edges or' the pocket in which it is held.

The cap-piece 8 'is in the form oi a shallow inverted box rectangular inshape and having equal length and width with the bodypiece 7. At eachend a vertical hollow standard 8iL is formed or secured on the cap-piece'vertically and adapting them to press upwardly on the cap-piece. Ineach hollow standard 8 a plurality of spaced perlorations d are formedtransversely therethrough in the same vertical plane, and at a suitablepoint in each post 7 u a longitudinal slot c Ais iorrned in the samevertical plane with the series of perforations d in a respective hollow1aandard.

The bolster for the rear axle l() is substantially the same inconstruction as the front bolster and comprises a hollow body-piece 911, having two parallel side walls that are joined together at theirends by two posts 11, formed integrally therewith at the bases oi" saidposts and erected vertically, as is shown in Fig. 2. The posts Il arecylindrical and preferably similar in dimensions to the posts 7". Theside walls of the bolsterbody 11 are integrally connected together atsuitable intervals by the transverse partitionwalls f, that provide aplurality of springliolding pockets, wherein are seated the lowerportions of an equal number of coiled springs 12, which are similar tothe springs 9 in dimensions and expansive torce. Near each post 11 atransverse slot is formed through the body of the bolster 11, just abovethe bottom wall thereof, these rectangular slots receiving end portionsof the rear hounds 13, which are portions of the running-gear for thewagon. A similar transverse slot is formed in the bolster-body 11 at itscenter of length or equally distant from the hounds 13, said slotaccommodating the rear end portion of the reach-pole 14, which is passedtherethrough.

The liat bottom wall of the bolster-body 11 is seated upon the uppersurface of the rear axle 10 and is thereon secured immovably by twolooped clamping-bolts f, that respectively embrace the hounds 13 and,together with a clip-plate g for each looped bolt, clamp thebolster-body upon the axle, as is clearly shown in Fig. 2.

A cap-piece 15 is a completing' portion of the two-part rear bolster andis essentially similar in form to the cap-piece 8, consisting of aninverted shallow rectangular boX having at each end thereof a verticalhollow standard 15, wherein a respective post 11 is loosely fitted, thusadapting the cap-piece 15 to reciprocate in a plane parallel with theplane of the bolster-body 11. Upon the lower side of the cap-piece 15and directly opposite each vertical spring' 12 a collar/1,' is formed,whereon the upper ends of said springs are respectively mounted andsecured. In each of the posts 11u a longitudinal slot m is formed, andin the same vertical plane with each slot my a series of spacedperforations 'in' is formed in each hollow standard 15, the perforationsm in each standard being preferably equal in number with likeperforations in corresponding hollow standards 8C.

A keeper-bolt 16 is provided for each post and mating standard thereon,and, as is shown in Fig. 4, these keeper-bolts each is cylindrical inthe body, has a laterally-flattened head n on one end, and at theopposite end is furnished with a short finger 0, that is pivotedthereupon, as shown at 0, so that the finger may be adjusted inalinennent with the body of the bolt for free insertion through aperforation oppositely formed in the wall of a standard 8ZL or 15, andwhen the bolt is fully inserted it may be locked in place by turning thefinger laterally, as shown in Fig. 4.

In service, assuming' that the improved spring-holsters are mounted uponthe front and rear aXles of a freight-wagon and that a suitable body isplaced upon the cap-pieces of the bolsters, between the standardsthereon, the weight of the load will obviously depress the springs 9 and12, thus causing one or more transverse perforations in each standard 8L15*L to be disposed opposite a respective vertical slot in acorresponding post 7 or 11. The keeper-bolt 16 for each post and hollowstandard thereon is now passed through the perforation in the standardthat is nearest to the upper end of the slot in the post and is thereinlocked by turning the finger o downward. It will be seen that thisadjustment of the bolts permits them to slide down in the slots in theposts 7aL 11, and thus adapts the springs in each bolster to absorbshocks resulting from the travel of the wagon over a rough road-bed, butwill prevent an upward movement of the bolster cap-pieces and loadcarried thereon above the point of normal depression given to thecap-pieces and springs by the imposition of the load carried thereon. Itwill also be noted that when the wagon is traversing a road-bed that islow at one side the bolts 16 will prevent the springs on the high sideof the road from rising improperly and imposing an excess of weight uponthe springs above the lower side of the road.

As shown in Fig. 4, the head of each keeperbolt 16 is connected by achain or cord 02 to a respective standard 81 15, so as to prevent loss.

Itis to be understood that the springs in the bolsters are to beproportioned in size and load-supporting strength to suit the capacityof the wagon or vehicle, as it is obvious that the improvement may beapplied upon a coach, automobile, or light vehicle for carrying one ormore persons and operate as eflioiently as when employed to support aload on a freighthauling wagon.

Having thus described my invention, I claim as new and desire to secureby Letters Patent l. A spring-bolster, comprising an elongated body, apost at each end of the body, pockets in the body, springs projectingfrom said pockets, a cap seated upon said springs, and hollow standardsslidable on the posts.

2. A spring-bolster, comprising an elongated body, a post at each end ofthe body and having a slot longitudinally therein, a cap, springsbetween the body and the cap, hollow standards on the ends of the cap,said standards loosely receiving the posts when the cap is seated uponthe springs, and transverse bolts engaging perforations in the posts andthe slots in the standards.

3. A spring-bolster', comprising 'an elongated body embodying a fiatbottom, parallel sides and a plurality of transverse partitions betweensaid sides forming pockets, a plurality of coiled springs seated uponthe flat bottom within the pockets, a cylindrical post on each end ofthe body, a box-like cap, collars on the lower side of the cap whereonthe upper ends of the springs are secured, a hollow standard on each endof the cap and wherein the posts slide, and means for adj ustablyholding the cap and standards on the posts against the stress of thesprings.

4. A spring-bolster, comprising an elongated body, a post on each end ofsaid body, each post having a longitudinal slot therein, a plurality ofpockets in the body, a coiled spring in each pocket, a cap havinginvertedboX form, a hollow standard on each end of the cap, a pluralityof spaced perforations in IOO IIO

each standard that may be registered with the In testimony Whereoflhavesigned my name slot in a respective post, collars on the lower to thisspeeication in the presence of two subl0 slide of the cap, Whereon h;uppe finds of scribing Witnesses.

t 1e springs are secure an eepero ts each having a jointed finger on itsfree end, which WILLIAM JOHN FOISTER' may be inserted through aperforation and Witnesses:

slot in an engaged post and standard, and be E. BENDER,

held by the lateral adjustmentof the inger. C. I-I. BRAMLEY.

